Ivan Lalic Agatha Christie is one of the most adapted writers for the big screen, but also rarely managed to deliver a bad movie script. Her crime mysteries were just to good in their core, offering endless plot twists, as did one of her first adaptations, "Witness for the prosecution". William Wilder's movie brought Marlen Dietrich's charisma to the big screen, but also managed to keep the tension of a murder trial all the way through the entire movie, climaxing in a really unexpected climax at the very end. On the other hand, the acting and the development of characters won't be revolutionary If you are into crime/mystery/trial movies you should not miss "Witness for the prosecution", a classical genre mainstream.

HotToastyRag Witness for the Prosecution is one of the most entertaining courtroom stories of all time, written by the crime mistress herself, Agatha Christie. Charles Laughton completely owns the courtroom, starring as a famously brilliant barrister who's supposed to be taking a break for his health-but he gets drawn in by a truly compelling murder trial. Tyrone Power, in his last movie, has been accused of murdering a wealthy older woman. While all the evidence racks up against him, Charles doesn't give up hope and tries to win the case, all the while trying to crack the very hard nut Marlene Dietrich. Marlene is Tyrone's wife, and it's impossible to tell what she's really thinking or feeling.I love this story, and I love both versions of the film, from 1957 and 1982. It's incredibly suspenseful and interesting-and also quite impossible to talk about without giving spoilers. If you've never seen Witness for the Prosecution, add this one to your list of classics to rent. The acting is fantastic, and the timing makes it a very entertaining old movie to watch. There are no boring bits in this drama; and I guarantee you'll still sit on the edge of your seat the second time you watch it.

Prismark10 After watching the film I felt that the actual Agatha Christie book could not be as good. Billy Wilder and his writers expand on this but more importantly make a riveting and fast paced court room drama.The interesting part is that this film was made in the USA with the usual bunch of Brits living abroad but you would not think from the courtroom scenes that this movie was made in Hollywood.Charles Laughton plays Wilfred Roberts the curmudgeonly, crafty and hefty barrister who has returned to his chambers after a period of ill health. Accompanied by his nagging nurse (Elsa Lanchester) who wants him to rest and take things easy, he immediately takes on a murder case.Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is charged with murder of a wealthy older woman who he has been seeing in order to secure an investment for his invention. The evidence is circumstantial but Vole comes across as naive but emotional. Marlene Dietrich is Vole's enigmatic German wife, grateful to him for bringing him over from war torn Germany.Dietrich is the defence witness who becomes the witness for the prosecution. Roberts is puzzled as to why she has switched sides and what motives she might have.The film is well paced, well crafted and director Billy Wilder just made it so easy going even though he adds some legalese here and there. Wonderful performances by all the actors. Tyrone Power does stick out as a bit odd with his mid Atlantic accent. In the court scenes he comes across as over emotional but there is another charade being played all along.

Scott LeBrun Hollywood legend Tyrone Power, in his final completed film role, plays Leonard Vole, accused of the murder of a lonely rich middle aged woman, Mrs. Emily Jane French (Norma Varden). They'd struck up a friendship, and he continued to see her in the hopes that she'd finance the inventions that he wanted to market. Now she's dead, and all evidence points to him being the killer. Taking his case is the irascible, witty barrister Sir Wilfrid Roberts (Charles Laughton, in a delicious, Oscar nominated performance), who's recovering from a heart attack.This viewer shouldn't relay too much about the plot, but, as adapted from Agatha Christies' play, it's riveting stuff. While it obviously derives from a stage work with so much focus on dialogue and performance, it's the crackling, often funny dialogue and superior acting that makes this so effective and seemingly quickly paced for a film running just under two hours. The script, written by Harry Kurnitz and the well regarded director Billy Wilder, obviously takes great delight in the twist laden scenario. "Witness for the Prosecution" is often throwing surprises at the audience, and while more savvy folk may be able to predict a fair deal, the ways in which characters and viewers alike are manipulated is nothing short of masterful.There's a great deal of humor to be found in the relationship between Sir Wilfrid and his nursemaid Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester, a.k.a. Mrs. Laughton). She's annoying in a lively, endearing way, and his reactions to her are simply priceless. Lanchester was also Oscar nominated for her scene stealing, comedic work.There are no slackers here, especially when you realize there are performances within performances being given here. Power is quite engaging, and Marlene Dietrich is highly striking as the German woman whom he took as a "wife". Wonderful support is provided by John Williams, Henry Daniell, Ian Wolfe, Torin Thatcher, Ms. Varden, Una O'Connor (that scenery devouring player from some of the Universal horror films of the 1930s, cast here as the housekeeper), Francis Compton, Philip Tonge, and Ruta Lee.The filmmaking is slick without calling attention to itself, with Wilder and company completely trusting the source material. The result is a smashing entertainment that deserves to be rediscovered.Nine out of 10.